For Amara
by Sunset-Peril
Summary: Before there was a War, before the Phantom Ruby had ravaged the world, there was a mercenary leader living with a group of abused criminals deep within Mobius. However, when mistakes lead to a crippling tragedy, pain turns horrific and blood multiplies over until the world runs with blood; death in the name of the dead, and only one who holds his heart far out of reach can heal him
1. Prologue Part One: Overthrown

Author's note: This prologue has been divided into two because I saw a split develop when I wrote it.

This new book follows _Episode Jackal_, but the book is not required to read for this book. This book is also connected to the short story _Unfading Memories_ from the collection _Do or Die_. This short story is recommended prior reading but not required for understanding

* * *

_"I can accept the idea of my own demise, but I am unable to accept the death of anyone else." - Maya Angelou_

* * *

It was that fateful day that ended everything. Everything that was would soon be replaced by a flaming Armageddon because of the events of that one day. The wrong thing happened at the worst place it could possibly think to strike, at a time that only amplified its calamity to those affected.

That day, buried deep in a recent past, would end thousands, and ravage everything that would be left behind.

War was born deep within anguish.

Infinite's head jerked upwards at the sound of an alarm; an intruder alarm.

"Unidentified system intrusion! Northeast lab sector!" The mechanical voice in his earpiece proclaimed.

Infinite gasped and jumped up from the forest ground of Aqua Road to a tower to gain altitude in order to map out the fastest path to the northeast region of the lab.

The Jackal Squad had been stationed there, leaderless while Infinite tackled a solo task that wouldn't have taken thirty minutes. There was no telling if they had received the alarm before the intruder reached the area or if they had encountered a blind attack.

Infinite wasn't about to let the threat get to them before he did. He launched himself from the tower to a rock formation sticking out of the water, then raced towards the invaded area with his thoughts only focusing on arriving, so consumed with his speed and his target that he muddled out the wave of messages through his communication equipment, especially anything with Eggman's voice.

_~~ *meanwhile* ~~_

Amara heard the alarm blare and looked around anxiously for an armed intruder, snarling and preparing her knife for conflict. However, she was not met with an enemy, but someone she considered to be some sort of family. "Oh come on, ugh, _please_ don't tell me you set off the alarm! For being some of the most dangerous mercenaries on the planet, you two are such idiots!" She smacked the two jackals, Hunter and Remy, across their muzzles and grumbled to herself about their stupidity.

"You're callin' us idiots? So we're supposed to just let 'cha boss us around like you own us or somethin'?"

"I outrank you."

"You ain't married to him yet, Amara! Keep your pretty mouth shut!"

Amara was getting quite furious the more that time passed. "Second Lieutenant Hunter, you are talkin' to First Lieutenant Amara! Blood-tied or not, I'm still better than you!"

"Hush it!" Remy snapped.

Both jackals stopped fighting each other and turned to Remy.

"I heard over the intercom, we got an intruder!"

Amara cried out in frustration, then growled, a fuming grimace stuck on her face. "Okay, since you two can't even do the one job you had: to keep people outta this place, looks like we all got a problem." She said in a harsh deadpan, a knife-sharp glower thrown towards the pair. "QuickStrike! Where are ya?!"

Quickstrike appeared from around the corner, distress apparent in his face. "Amara! Guys! There's trouble, ya gotta keep an eye out!"

"Yeah, we know. There's an intruder. What's the whoop about that?" Hunter did nothing more than rolling his eyes.

QuickStrike shook his head and a few fearful tears ran down his face. "Ya don't know **who** the intruder is…"

Amara's expression shifted to being more sensitive and possibly concerned.

A figure burst through the bushes, then looked straight at the Jackal Squad as if they were in his way. "I see that the Doctor has put in some effort to keep this place secure. Too bad it's coming down anyway."

Amara approached him with purpose, knowing what she was hired to do.

The others gathered behind her, acknowledging her authority.

"Well, well. If it isn't the authorities' favorite hedgehog." She crossed her arms, only to be met with an energy blast being charged. She gasped. "Everyone move!" She bolted to her right, Hunter and Remy quickly scattered from the area.

QuickStrike, however, could not move quickly enough and he was struck with the blast, his body was thrown by the impact and smashed against the wall, a series of sickening cracks sounding as he fell lifelessly to the ground.

He did not get up.

"QuickStrike!" Remy cried out in despair.

"Well, that was almost too easy, are any of you actually going to try and stop me?"

Hunter pulled small, throwable daggers into his paw and cocked a shotgun in his other before rushing past Amara to confront him.

"Hunter! Wait!" Amara reached her paw out to stop him, but was too late.

Hunter was already fully engaged in a fight with a creature that had been designed to be almost unstoppable with the arsenal of powers he had been given at creation. Hunter fired his gun once and missed, then had the gun kicked out of his paw before getting knocked down to the ground.

Amara wanted to help him, but her instincts knew there was nothing she could do. Needing to satisfy one side of her adrenaline, Amara sprinted from the fight and scaled a tree that was near a large stone boulder. She turned back to the scene just in time to watch her squadmate die, the invader summoned a gem and used another energy blast to crumble a metallic structure bridging an overhang. Debris from the crumbling structure fell and collided with the jackal, snapping his neck in a moment's time.

Remy jumped to Hunter's side, unaware that he was dead. However, the remaining structure, unstable beyond repair, collapsed in the area, blocking Remy's escape routes. A metal bar fell on his head before he could cry out for Amara to help him, killing him too.

"Disappointing. The so-called 'greatest mercenaries on Mobius' provided no opposition. Truly a pitiful display."

Amara, still safely up in the tree she had scaled before Hunter's death, tried to creep away from the scene, uncertain of whether to get Infinite to aid her or to run away. Her weight, however, was too much for a section of the tree and one of the branches separated from the tree in a harsh snap. She bit her tongue to keep from swearing.

The creature, however, heard the noise and spotted her. "Trying to get off without your consequence?" The black creature approached Amara with a displeased frown.

She turned to face him, remaining in the tree.

The creature seemed to recognize her. "I've seen you. Hard to forget when half the recons I get sent on have something to do with you. The Queen of the Black Market."

Amara growled, her tail flicking back and forth, replacing her panic with rage. Boy, did she hate the military. "That's right." She began with a vicious snarl. "Don't wear it out."

"Don't toy with me, vixen."

Amara jumped down and flipped her hair back, baring her teeth. She launched at him, releasing all the tension from the air and initiating a huge fight. It was impossible to tell where one or the other was, the two were so interlocked. Both of them were able to land several punches on the other before Amara landed a kick to the intruder's lower chest and he threw her backwards towards the boulder. She got back up with incredible timing, but not quite fast enough. She was backed into the boulder before she could think of a counterattack.

"Your majesty..." The creature began with a chilling grumble, using Amara's lesser-known title to address her, almost as if he was trying to make an ironic point. He pushed against her chest to hold her against the cold rock's surface, which felt rough and dry, almost as if it had been aware of the event currently taking place for some time, and was thirsty for what finally was to come.

Amara found the action of him placing his hand against her chest highly invasive and gripped a small portion of the boulder that made a handle, curling up in the air to kick him back. She decided to sprint for it, as she knew she was in danger and Infinite was not going to make it to her in time. She heard energy begin to course through a channel nearby and was quickly met with a green, glowing spear.

"You're gonna regret that." He forced her back into the rock that he'd cornered her with, cutting off her escape. "There's nowhere to run. You're not so unstoppable without your squad, are you?"

Amara bared her teeth once again and snarled, her last resort to possibly free herself, but it was hopeless.

She was already out of time.

"Your majesty," he began again, obviously making a point with the title, looking down at the weapon for a second. "Thousands have lived in fear of you, but I'm not here on behalf of the people you terrorize, the hundreds you've ended. I'm here for just one thing, to bring this place down. So tell me, _Amara_, Assassin Queen, how does it feel to be-" He chillingly raised the spear, then struck through Amara's chest with it, piercing through her heart, striking through the entirety of her and letting the blade rest in the already-bloodstained boulder behind her.

Amara gasped and began to quiver, collapse rising in her legs as a crippling pain surged and burned through her whole body while an intense flood of vital blood spilled from the mercenary's chest; her life fleeing her before both her eyes and the intruder's.

"_**-overthrown?**_"


	2. Prologue Part Two: I'm Already Gone

Author's Note: This chapter is based on the cutscene from Episode Shadow where Infinite is beaten and insulted at the paw of Shadow.

Some dialogue is taken directly from the scene, some is modified from the original but most is 100% my content and was not taken from Sonic Forces/Episode Shadow in any way.

* * *

_"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." - Dr. Seuss_

* * *

"**We've got an intruder! Shadow has entered the facility!"** The Doctor began with both disbelief and urgency.

As soon as Infinite recognized the voice, he instantly began ignoring him, speeding up and sticking a heavy landing onto a tiki-like structure. He tried to tell himself he shouldn't too worried about it; the Squad had been trained by some of the best thugs from when they were young and had handled targets and enemies ranging everywhere from drunks to authorities and enforcement.

They could handle it!

The earpiece dinged once again with Eggman's next report on the intrusion. "**Defence Squad Jackal has already been completely annihilated!"**

Infinite stumbled, catching himself on a ledge. _Lies! They're not gone! _He felt his heart begin to race and his eyes began to burn, tears welling up inside him. _Infinite! Pull it together! You can't ever let the client control you, stop this! _

He forced himself to keep going, regardless of whatever was being sent through his headset, he would keep pressing on to protect the Jackal Squad. He _had_ to, something inside him just screamed it. All he could to for the moment was continue in their direction and keep telling himself that they were all alive and well…

"**Hey, you!"**

Infinite continued to ignore him, now leaping between a few pillars, mere paces from what was considered the beginning of the Northeast Lab Sector.

"**I know you can hear me!" **

_Yeah, I can hear ya; I'm just choosing to __**ignore**_ _you. There's a difference, I thought you were supposed to be smart enough to know that. Infinite rolled his eyes and growled a little, frustrated that Eggman was bothering him while he was trying to stop the intruder._

**"You're captain of Squad Jackal, aren't you?!"**

_Correctly identified, present and __**annoyed**__, thank you very much._

**"Your squad was useless! They provided no opposition towards Shadow's blasted attack and were killed instantly! Go clean up their mess already!"**

Infinite snarled once more as frustration boiled over to rage, the pain in his heart struck him once more as tears once again began to build as he brushed his hair back.

**Why** did he believe him?

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." His voice rumbled as all the emotions bottled inside him began to leak out, he caught a glimpse of Shadow and turned towards him. "**You**." He began. "You **destroyed** my **squad**." He snapped his head down in a violent shake before continuing. "I'll show you **why** they call me the Ultimate Mercenary!" He took a large step backward with his left foot, proclaiming "Take this!"

Shadow jumped out of the way as Infinite jumped towards him from the ledge he'd been standing on, causing the already-disoriented mercenary to lose sight of him. Then, Shadow came up behind him and landed a harsh blow to his legs, tripping him before landing an arsenal of punches.

Infinite did the best he could to right himself so he could fight back, but Shadow would score another life-stealing blow just as the jackal was about to try his own.

Shadow landed an upward kick to the jackal, shooting his still-very-much-alive body high into the air and beat him once more with a sweeping kick that sent him on a painful crash course with the rock walls of the area.

Infinite, upon hitting the ground at a speed that, although was much slower than the speed he directly hit the stone above with, was incredibly painful. His instincts had him sound a low groan of pain and he covered his beaten, stinging face, curling away from his attacker thoughtlessly.

"Worthless." The hedgehog proclaimed, looking down at the wounded male. "Don't show your pathetic face around me ever again." His form then began to warp as he disappeared in a flash.

Infinite took a gasping breath as he felt Shadow's presence leave him, then pulled his paw from his face to discover a startling reality.

He was _shaking_!

"I'm shaking? _Me_?" He began with disbelief. "This, this can't, no… me, _afraid_?"

Voices came back to him, filling his mind with their words and surrounding his defeated being with their presence, haunting him.

_Your squad was useless! Go clean up their mess already!_

_Worthless._

"No!" He cried out to nobody, forcing himself onto his two legs. "I'm…. I'm- _not_…" He stuttered as his emotional barrier shattered, a few tears rolling down his muzzle as he became alone and overwhelmed. "I'm not _pathetic_..." He gasped and shuddered again. "I'm not weak! I'm… I'm not… I'm not _weak_!"

As Infinite began to choke up on his breath at the sight of him shaking and howling as well as the worthless echoing tirelessly in his mind, a new voice emerged, shoving the cruel voices back to where they couldn't be heard.

_Boss… _A feminine, yet rough and thuggish, voice whispered as if she was placing sweet nothings into his broken mind. _...why?_

Infinite's choked breaths began to morph into tears and sobs. "Amara… _please_, no…" he begged to the voice, only experiencing what felt like her presence brushing his ear and running her thumb along where his ear began to meet his forehead.

_**Why**_ _would you do this to us, Infy?_

She summoned a moment from earlier that day into his mind, a moment that could have changed the path of history had it gone differently.

"_Alright, Squad, let's get ready to head over to the lab." Infinite had told his team when they were eating that morning. _

"_Boss, I don't like this job. It's stupid." Hunter protested, partially climbing up onto the table and banging a fist down to provide an additional sound to voice his disapproval._

"_And why is it stupid, Hunter?" Infinite had asked._

"_Because we were supposed to kill this guy and raid his junk! He's an enemy to everyone in both Mobius and Bloodpool and we're letting him control us! You're letting him control us!"_

_"He is not in control of us, Hunter." Infinite paused to let his counterargument sink in before stating his reasoning. "You're forgetting that we signed on for this and that we need the money."_

"_I agree with Hunter, Boss." Amara voiced, everyone turned to stare at her as if it was completely out-of-character for her to do anything but sass him. "We have to drop."_

_Infinite looked at her curiously. "And why is that?"_

_She looked down at the table, glanced at the food in front of her, perhaps uneasy, then cast another soft, swooping glance across all who sat at the table before looking up at Infinite without raising her head back to stare straight into his eyes. "Someone will get hurt." She paused for a few more seconds, then took an audible breath. "There are many, many other ways that all of us can earn money, ways that are deeper in Bloodpool and, therefore, safer ways." _

"_You are not going to start dealing again, Amara." Infinite instantly interrupted her with his firm rebuttal._

_She seemed to pause and stutter. "I made that statement knowin' that you won't let me deal again… I have various skillsets, so do the others." _

_Infinite walked to her seat, which actually wasn't far from his own since she was the next highest-ranking mercenary, and gripped her paws with his. "Mara," His voice sounded oddly pleaful. "come on, honey… we've already got this job, got this client." He paused to think, she looked away from him until he gripped her paws a little harder in order to regain her attention. "There's just a month 'til the wedding, we'll do this job well, tie the knot, then all of us will go off-grid and the both of us will have a kid or do whatever you'd like. Can you make that deal with me?" _

_Her canines, which peeked out slightly as she considered the offer, did nothing more but add another degree of concern to her already worried demeanor. "I can't defy you, Boss." She said, somewhat trying to avoid making terms with him before leaning forward to kiss his lips. She then stood and walked away._

As the thought concluded, Infinite realized that he was shaking even more now than he was when Shadow had initially beat him up.

Was she right?

Was _Shadow_ right?

_I'm not weak!_ He proclaimed to himself once again, as if that was the only thing he could come up with to justify himself. _I'll show them… the Jackal Squad's fine! I'll go find them myself and prove it!_

He began walking away from the area, still shaking, and headed deeper into the sector. Infinite tilted his nose up to sniff out his squad. "Amara!" He began calling. "Hunter! Remy! QuickStrike! Where are you guys?!" Turning a corner around a pillar of rock, Infinite spotted jackal footprints. They were quite large, belonging to a male, but not quite large enough to be Remy's and were alone, so they likely weren't Hunter's, leaving them to be QuickStrike's prints. Infinite gasped and sped over to them, sniffing out the exact path the lower-ranked jackal had taken. Once he was on the path, he quickly identified the scents of all the other males.

So _where_ was Amara's scent? It didn't matter how annoying or obnoxious the guys were, even if they were just harassing her for the sole reason that she was a female and they were all males, she would never just bail out on them… would she?

The notion that Amara had fled the Squad while Shadow had invaded and possibly attacked sent a blaze of cold terror down Infinite's spine. Thankfully, her incredibly strong scent, extremely unique due to her Defied heritage, was soon found closer to the site of a metallic structure that had recently undergone bracing to prevent its collapse.

Infinite sped up to the opening that he was approaching, fervent to see his squad after all that had just happened. He needed them to crowd around him like they always did, but mostly he just needed Amara to curl up next to his side, to bind her tail around his when no one was looking and nuzzle the crook of his neck. He needed her console, to tell her how wrong he was, and how right both her and Hunter were.

However, he was painfully in the dark that she had been murdered.

Coming into the opening, he saw the bushes where Shadow had ambushed the Squad, QuickStrike's body laying lifelessly by a wall near the bushes, saw the pile of rubble where Hunter and Remy eternally rested, and saw the tree where Amara had been spotted escaping and the boulder where she'd been brutally slain; unable to see the blood splattered all over its rough surface due to his angle. Her body laid in a twist due to her falling to her knees, then the ground, as she breathed her last and died. From Infinite's distance and angle, it was impossible to see the spear wound in her chest that had killed her.

At the sight of her, Infinite began running straight towards her, catching sight of Hunter and Remy's bodies and taking a detour to them. "Hunter! Remy!" He began as he jumped up onto the small maze of rubble, catching full sight of Hunter's body. "Hunter… no…" It was clear to Infinite that his neck was snapped, the jackal's head was tilted almost horizontally to his body's position, having an unreal appearance. Tears began to build and slip from Infinite's eyes as he bowed his head in a final reverence for his squadmate, then turned to Remy as if he had some sort of notion that the third lieutenant had survived even though his higher-ranked jackal buddy hadn't.

Third Lieutenant Remy, however, did not hold up to that hope. As soon as Infinite saw he was also deceased, his knees buckled. "No…_please_, get up…" he gripped the jackal's face and tilted it up towards his as he dipped his head and began to sob lightly. "_**Please**_…."

Even with Infinite's devastated pleading, both Remy and Hunter remained dead, there was no stirring from either and Remy's body had begun to grow cold. His body slipped out of Infinite hands, which had begun to shake more violently now that two of the Jackal Squad members had been found dead.

Infinite stood up and sprinted towards the body of QuickStrike, afraid of going over to Amara.

He, too, was far gone; his body already cold in places where Hunter and Remy were just cooling.

_No, no, __**no!**_ Infinite began shaking and wails slipped from his lips. _Amara's still alive! She was the best and smartest out of all of them! _Infinite continued telling himself this as he raced over to her, his mind so foggy with pain that he apparently didn't see the blood staining the boulder above him, or if he did notice, assumed that it came from Shadow or someone else that she had wounded. He didn't take an instant alarm at her lifeless state, as he had been sleeping with her long enough that he knew she liked to play a little joke where she stayed as lifeless as possible for as long as she could, but instead put a hand on her dead shoulder and began to talk to her as if she was just laying down. "Hey, Amara, time to go. This place is damaged, gonna be evacuated, let's go get paid then outta here."

Like the others, she did not move.

"**Mara**. It's time to **go**. Let's go **home**."

She, however, was still not responding, her soul already departed from her body.

Tears began spilling out of Infinite's eyes as he tried shaking her for a response. "_**Mara!**_ This _**isn't funny! **_C'mon, babe, knock it off…" He began to cry, the few tears he'd shed before were followed by a river of painful concern for his fiancée's life. "_**Please**_, Mara, don't leave me here… don't leave me here alone…" Once again, Infinite felt a strange sensation in the fur of his ear, Amara's spirit stroking him before tilting her own body so that Infinite could see where Shadow had run her through and killed her. In an instant, after being able to see the gaping hole in his lover's chest, Infinite instantly knew the large smear of blood on the boulder belonged to her, and that it had been spilled deliberately.

The Assassin Queen had been assassinated.

Infinite gasped and his whole being trembled viciously as his grief, previously a quiet reverence, erupted into a hysterical shrieking. He tore off his gloves, threw them to the ground and slashed at both the landscape around and himself. Desperate to cause a secondary pain that would nullify what he was already enduring, Infinite reached over and slashed his left shoulder. "No! _**No!**_ Amara! Amara, wake me up!" Tears burst from his eyes and ran down his face and muzzle in a fierce, ending flood. He howled in grief, his voice bellowing off the walls and causing a few small landslides in an unstable region nearby.

Robot soldiers soon filed into the area, mobilized after the deaths of the Jackal Squad, and advanced towards an agonized Infinite who had gone primal and noticed them approaching, bounding towards them on all fours and tearing into the front lines with his teeth, claws and sword. One came up from behind and sunk its metal appendages into Infinite's right shoulder, painfully immobilizing him and causing him to topple onto his right side, lamenting for his deceased.

"**Captain! Stand down or else!"** Eggman snapped through the jackal's headpiece, hearing the whole of Infinite's brutal breakdown. "**Don't forget who you bow to."**

Infinite snapped his teeth at the surrounding robots before growling, trying to hide his tears from them. "I bow to no one." He glanced at Amara's body. _Not anymore… _

"**You bow to **_**me**_ **now, Infinite!"**

"And just _why_ is that?"

"**Because I'm the **_**only**_ **thing you've got left."**


	3. Endings Become Beginnings

_"The irony of grief is that the person that you need to talk to about how you feel is the person who is no longer here." - Author Unknown_

* * *

_***About a Month Later***_

Infinite laid down in bed, facing the wall of his small, dorm-like room. His eyes were red from crying to himself, although he would never admit it to anyone else who questioned him. It was his little ritual, his way to never forget the lives that he'd lost.

Today was going to be a hard day for him.

He looked down at the shining object around his right ring finger, Amara's engagement ring. _My engagement ring now..._ he thought mournfully. _Why didn't I walk away with her? Today could've been __**ours**__, now it belongs to neither._

Today was supposed to be his wedding day.

After the standoff with Eggman and the robots cleared up, Infinite had taken the liberty of chasing everyone off and barricading the area from anyone until he had buried the bodies in an undisclosed location that only he knew of.

The remains of the Jackal Squad members were hidden and that was just what Infinite wanted, for them to remain in their final resting place for eternity without being disturbed.

As he felt another wave of grief well up within his soul, he heard the door open. He pushed himself up and glanced in the direction of the disturbance, only to feel the fur around his neck tighten and heard a click. He instinctively made a curious whine that sounded like 'Arr?' as he lifted his paw to touch whatever was now on his neck.

"Orders from the top, Captain Infinite, the boss doesn't want to have any feeling that you'd threaten him." A voice, coming from a little red robot, stated as he pushed a button on a remote and the device on Infinite's neck bleeped.

"What...? What is this?"

"Oh, just a little thing to keep you from mauling anyone," Orbot stated flatly, extending his arm to pet Infinite on the head. "Good dog."

Infinite growled, four little LEDs studded on his new collar turned yellow and bleeped.

Orbot became nervous and shook. "Uhhh, nice jackal? I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

Infinite barked at him and was instantly zapped with electricity, tumbling onto the floor after losing his balance on the bed. He tried to quickly get back up on his feet, still stunned, with the lights on his collar still glowing yellow as they began to beep again, speeding up almost like a warning. Infinite shook his head, trying to clear the annoying beeping from his ears. "_**What**_ was _**that**_ for?!" He snarled viciously, and the collar made a loud alarm before the lights turned red.

Orbot quickly wheeled away from the agitated jackal, seeing the shock had only made him more furious as opposed to subduing him. "Someone come quickly!" He cried to no one. "The collar did nothing to control him!"

Infinite lunged towards Orbot, but an intense surge of electricity struck through him, causing him to howl in pain and drop onto his chest.

At about this time, the backup that Orbot had called for, closely followed by their creator, entered the room with the expectation of a rabid jackal mauling the little bot. Upon the current sight of the little red robot cowering from the jackal who was laying flat on the floor, they were horribly disappointed.

"Uhh, Orbot? Why are you yelling about the dog on the floor?" Cubot scratched his head as Orbot got himself back onto his wheels and quickly removed himself from the canine's reach.

"This is more than _**just**_ a dog, Cubot, he will be my instrument of ultimate destruction!" Eggman began.

Infinite stirred noiselessly, interrupting the mad scientist moment.

"Uhh, as long as he doesn't destroy the project..." He then returned to his previous, confident tone. "but that's what the shock collar is for! He'll be a loyal part of my plan soon enough!" He then took a few steps to grip Infinite's scruff and shake him before giving the jackal a light toss, which ended up only turning him a little to the left. "Get up!"

"Unghhh..." Infinite moved his paws to prop himself up a little, shaking his head out as his long tail lifted from the ground, rising like a cloud of smoke.

"'Well, it's about time!"

"Give me a second." Infinite mumbled, too worn to be annoyed. He struggled to get back onto his feet and even once he was up, he had to use the mattress of his bed to support him. He turned away from the group and rolled his eyes, embarrassed that he had to hold himself up with his left arm. Sounding a single scoff, he pressed his other arm against the bed to allow himself the balance to turn his head. "Typically you don't barge in here, what's different?"

"The final tests have been completed for the first part of the experiment. That's all you need to know."

"What _**kind**_ of experiment?" Infinite felt like biting him, but he was too worn to even set off the sensor attached to his collar.

Eggman seemed to become frustrated, noticing that Infinite obviously didn't notice the phrase 'that's all you need to know.' However, he was able to prevent an outburst, likely because of fear, and regained composure for a reply. "The very experiment your precious female died protecting..."

Infinite took a painful breath, collar instantly turning yellow as the memory painfully forced itself into his brain.

The Jackal Squad had been hired, not only to defend the at-risk base, but to protect a valuable new asset that Eggman was studying, one so valuable that Infinite was refused any information regarding the study.

No one really figured out if Shadow had been sent to purloin the asset or if he was just bent on the destruction of property and the demolition of lives. One thing was certain, however: the base was compromised...

and the Squad was dead and buried.

"But enough about the experiment itself, all you need to do is follow your orders."

Infinite's collar, whom's lights remained yellow, bleeped as it detected rising hostility. "I take orders from no one until I am told the nature of the order." He then took a deep breath and his collar's light's returned to green, frustrating Eggman.

"You think you're in control here, don't you?" The doctor's voice became harsh.

"There is a difference between holding one's ground and uprising. I am in control of myself. Can you say the same?" Infinite's voice stayed flat and monotone, the lights around his neck remaining green.

"You are sorely mistaken, Captain. You are in control of _nothing_. I control you and everything you see." He turned to see Infinite looking straight into his eyes, however bent over and head slightly ducked, as if he refused to agree but at the same time did not will hostility.

The jackal remained silent and still; his collar's lights remained green, angering the one who desired rule over him.

"Why you little..." Eggman then took the remote from Orbot. "those green lights don't keep you safe, I control them too." He then pressed a button, unleashing a surge of electricity into Infinite similar to the one he'd experienced when his collar had reported him as 'aggressive and dangerous.'

The jackal screeched in surprise, unable to anticipate what was happening to him as he tumbled to the floor in intense physical pain. He tensed into a twitching ball of fur, remaining in the shape even after the electricity ceased to plague his body.

As soon as his twitching ceased, robots were ordered to seize him, tying a chain around the base of his muzzle, latching it onto another chain being secured to the jackal's neck and chest before fastening a jet black muzzle onto him. They pulled his body up off of the floor and forced the now-barely-conscious Infinite to stand on his feet and walk.

Infinite, who was lacking the strength to do absolutely anything he was being forced to do, followed every direction given to him, too beaten to fight. He was led into a large chamber of the lab, where a vital monitor, prepared to begin its monitoring, sat attached to a creature-sized observation chamber.

A small, purplish-red stone sat on the monitor.

"Captain Infinite, go stand over by that chamber." Orbot pointed towards the foreboding chamber.

Infinite nodded the best he could, which ended up being a restricted effort that produced more sound from his chains that actual movement before going straight over to stand precisely in front, his legs shaking as he did his best to stay upright. _I just want to be left alone..._ his tired thoughts whimpered. _Everything either hurts or is so numb..._ He groaned as he felt his chains being fastened to a pole and felt the muzzle release him. An odd feeling sprung up in him, instantly feeling an intense urge to cry as he looked around at the situation facing him.

"This," Eggman proclaimed once he caught Infinite's wandering gaze, holding up the odd-looking stone. "is a special gem with the ability to twist reality and the minds of those it affects. I call it, the Phantom Ruby."

Infinite was now willingly paying attention; he now understood why he, Amara and the others had been hired and why the scientist was willing to pay such a large amount for the squad to work for him. This gem was unlike any other tech that anyone had been able to use, possibly an even greater weapon than the Chaos Emeralds. Warping the mental workings of a creature was unheard of, same with completely changing reality.

A futuristic weapon capable of completely redesigning Mobian society... or worse.

"You see, this gemstone, this ruby is capable of taking any possible reality that you could dream up and turning it into the real world. You've actually come into contact with it before when you and your Squad first ambushed me at my base near your little thug-run Badlands. I am certain you remember."

Infinite's mind answered for both instantly.

_"Ok, guys... and Amara, the new building shouldn't be too far away. From the news going around Raziel's place, it belongs to that Eggman fellow that the authorities are havin' some trouble with. But we're not here to aid the people who want our lives, in fact, forget about them right now; let's have some fun with the piece of civilization at our border. We're gonna raid it and take what we want, for us and only us."_

_Cheers erupted from Remy and QuickStrike, Hunter clapped and Amara nodded with a smirk on her face, her hand resting on the top of her hips._

_"Now we're getting into the fun messes!" Amara declared with a pump of her arm. "I'm looking forward to watching some so-called civil dude get his!"_

_"You don't get to kill him, Amara. That's got Infinite written all over it as the captain here, you're just the hot chick that belongs to him." Hunter muttered, giving Amara a shove into her chest to make her stumble, she instantly began snarling at him once she regained her balance._

_"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get yours, too." With a flick of her tail, she walked away from him and stood next to Infinite as if she was going to begin giving orders._

_Infinite turned his head to whisper discreetly into her large ear. "You ok, Amara? You've been a bit... explosive lately... also sort of moody."_

_Amara's face twisted with her awkward discomfort. She looked down at the golden canyon sand and pushed her foot into the sand. She kept her focus on driving her foot into the sand until Infinite gripped her upper arm._

_"...Amara?" Infinite looked deep into her gold eyes, moving his hand from gripping her arm to holding her face as he saw her eyes begin to glisten with tears. "...Are you...?"_

_Amara shook her head out, a deep conversation buried into her mind was controlling her outward actions as she nearly leaped into Infinite's arms and began to cry. She instantly began gasping for air through her tears before mumbling into his shoulder._

_"Woah, hey, I didn't mean to upset you, Amara." Infinite placed a paw on her back and rubbed. "There we go, Mara, look at me..." Amara looked up at his face. "did I say something that upset you?"_

_Amara took off her gloves and sloppily tried to wipe away the rivers pouring out of her eyes with her paws, having little success as she drenched her painful scars more than she dried her eyes. She gasped in pain as salty tears came into contact with her acid-scarred paws, attempting to grasp both palms at once as a new wave of tears began._

_Infinite took one of her burning paws in each of his, then proceeded to bark orders as he sat down with her. "Remy! You go get a cloth or something, make sure it's clean. Hunter! Go back to that trading post and get an anesthetic or a sedative or whatever they're calling it, just make sure it's a liquid. QuickStrike! Stand guard."_

_The others quickly nodded and dispersed._

_"Ok, Amara, I sent the others to get stuff to help. You just gotta breathe."_

_Amara replied with a pained groan and a nod. "It hurts, it hurts so much... it feels like something's burning through my paws!"_

_Infinite nodded. "I know, Mara." He maintained a gentle grip on her paws as they waited for the others' return, watching Amara and responding to her every slight change._

_If she cried a wail of pain, he would begin nuzzling her and whispering into her ear before kissing her forehead to remind her that she wasn't alone, if her breathing slowed or sped up then he'd correct the speed by doing breathing exercises with her._

_A while after the others left, Amara's paws developed a bleeding split, worsening the pain, Infinite gently tapped the wounds to draw blood away._

_To bring more comfort to his fiancée, Infinite let her curl up in his lap, she whimpered loudly while she settled her muzzle in the crook of his neck, her paws in his._

_QuickStrike, having heard many of Amara's wails, decided to check back in. "Hey, Boss, how's things going over here? She doing any better?"_

_Infinite looked at the female that he was cradling "She's still in a lot of pain... I hope those two get back soon."_

_"Uh, you do know those two are nutjobs, right? And I'm not even sure if Hunter even likes Amara... you know, in the one way that he's allowed to."_

_"Oh, he likes me just fine." Amara declared, pausing for a harsh wince. "He's just still salty because I decided that I only wanted to be intimate with Infinite." She kissed the base of Infinite's muzzle to emphasize her point. "If I had just been a female belonging to the captain of the Jackal Squad, Hunter would've gotten his turn with me." She winced again and looked down at her paws as if she was anticipating the skin to be burning right off of her before resuming. "However, I decided that I didn't want to live my life that way, especially after what happened to my mother. After I realized I had fallen in love with Infinite, I decided he'd be my only. No offense to you, Quick."_

_"None taken, Amara. I know how close you and the boss are, in fact, I see it right now." He snickered at his little tease, Infinite and Amara chuckled. "How are your paws, Amara? They seem to still be hurting you badly."_

_"They still hurt," Amara curled her head deeper into Infinite's chest. "and they're starting to dry, which isn't good." She tried moving the fingers on her left hand, trying to grip Infinite's hand with hers. She ended up only growling in pain._

_"What happens if they dry?" QuickStrike's expression bore features of both concern and bubbling curiosity._

_"The salt will dry into the acid that's in her scars. She'd be like this for days."_

_"Oh, that's not good. Do I need to get some water to keep them from drying?"_

_Infinite turned to Amara, knowing that putting anything on her paws would be entirely painful._

_"Do you have any water?" Amara asked, halfway in between sounding parched and sounding desperate._

_"I do. Are you asking for a drink or to clean your paws?"_

_"Both sound nice... if just dunking my paws in water would get rid of the salt and acid."_

_QuickStrike pulled out a small bottle of water and handed it to Infinite, who had to set one of Amara's paws on her lap to grab it. "Here, Amara, you can drink this."_

_Infinite put the bottle to her lips and tipped it upwards to allow her to drink._

_While Infinite was helping Amara drink, Remy and Hunter returned._

_"Hey, Boss- oh, that's sweet..." Remy clasped his paws to his chest as he observed the pair._

_Hunter rolled his eyes. "Ok, I got what you told me to get, do you want it or not?" He stuck out his arm, which contained a small vial of a liquid sedative._

_Infinite looked up from Amara. "Yes, I want it! Why would I order you to get it if I didn't want it?" He then turned towards Remy. "You got a cloth?"_

_"Sure do, Boss! Had to buy one, but I have one right here!" He held out a dark green fabric, allowing Infinite to set the bottle down and take it._

_Hunter also held out the vial for Infinite to take, but was much more annoyed than his energetic companion._

_Infinite turned his head to curl it up against Amara's, whispering softly to her. "Alright, Mara, we've done this before but it's going to hurt a whole lot. You ready?" He watched her pained face as she nodded, bracing for her burns to intensify. Reaching for both the cloth and the vial, he poured the sedative onto the cloth, then capped the liquid and placed the wet cloth around Amara's right paw. He gently squeezed her paw as he pulled the cloth towards her fingertips, making sure that the sedated cloth was able to reach all areas of her paw._

_Amara screeched and began a gasping pant, clenching her teeth and shaking her head. She then thrust her head forward to kiss Infinite's lips, trying to give herself a distraction from the pain._

_Infinite pulled back for a second, "You're doing good, Mara. Just keep holding on, babe..." before he reinitiated their distracting kiss. Once he began again, he took the lid off the vial and poured more of the sedative onto the cloth before beginning to clean her left paw._

_The onslaught of pain was so intense that Amara ripped her head back and cried out, pressing her head into his chest as tears began to leak from her eyes again._

_Infinite had both of his paws busy with treating her but did his best to soothe her._

_"Hey, Amara, it's gonna be okay. It shouldn't take too much longer to finish cleaning your paws, then you're gonna feel a lot better." QuickStrike's worried voice sounded choppy and rough, but he was somehow able to help._

_"Okay... alright..." She began with two gasping breaths._

_Infinite did one final swipe across each of her paws before handing the cloth to QuickStrike. "There. We're done. How do you feel?"_

_Amara brought her head up from Infinite's chest then looked down at her paws, gingerly trying to move her fingers. "They still kinda hurt, but not as bad as they did."_

_"Good. Now, we're too far from home to take you back, so you're going to have to raid the base with us. Do you think you can do that? I wouldn't give you orders to do anything crazy like battle the guy head-on, since you'll have to let your paws heal a bit."_

_"Yeah, I think I can. I'll just be there to scare him and take out some bots."_

_Infinite nodded, then used his scarf to dry her eyes. "That's my girl." He loosely wrapped bandages around her palm, then slipped her gloves back onto her. He grabbed onto her waist and helped her stand up._

_"You're alright, Amara?" Remy approached her with some concern._

_"I'll be alright. I've had to deal with this since I was two, I'll be fine once we get home."_

_"Well, good riddance!" Hunter growled, whipping his tail back and forth behind him. "Can we go now?!"_

_"Yeesh, Hunter. We're going. No rush." Amara replied with a bit of her own annoyance._

_With a flick of his tail, Infinite stepped in front of his squad and led them to Eggman's new base, where they slipped through the defenses with ease._

_"Raid the base!" Infinite boomed as he sliced through a large robot with his sword. "All that tech is sure to fetch a hefty bounty!"_

_The four other jackals followed their leader in close pursuit, Remy being the closest to Infinite, QuickStrike and Amara were close by and near each other with Hunter taking up the rear to ensure the injured first lieutenant wouldn't become a target during the raid. Each jackal was doing their own special task: Hunter was throwing daggers into the mechanical workings of the robots, QuickStrike hacked through all obstacles with his ax. Remy both barreled through bots with his size as well as his blade while Amara ran through the metallic guards to prevent her from having to use her wounded paws._

_"Jackal Squad!" Infinite began his order. "Move in for the kill!" He then launched himself over a robot and landed right behind it, his sword going through the android as he came down. He resisted all urges to turn around to see Amara and instead barked another order. "You guys take care of the robots!" He stood up straight and ran deeper into the base, voice deepening into a snarl. "I got the target." As he sped away from his squad, Infinite saw a little flying vessel._ _**That should be it. **__He then pulled out his sword and jumped to attack the vessel's controller, swinging down his sword for a final blow._

_However, instead of striking Eggman's flesh, Infinite's sword came into contact with his stone and sent the jackal's mind flying into a different reality._

_One that was decimated and in flames. Crumbling and hopeless as lightning danced across polluted clouds._

_The jackal looked around, so did the mad scientist that had been brought along. They both were in almost disbelief of the scene, Eggman stunned at the desolateness of the world that dwelled in the dark corners of the jackal's deepest desires, and Infinite disoriented as he recognized the place as his home... except that it wasn't home. Somewhere in Bloodpool Canyon is what he told himself, but as he looked deeper into the details, he feared what it likely was: a worldwide Defied Slums._

_As soon as it began, the false reality disappeared with the cry of a creature behind him. "What the-" Infinite turned to the sound in disarray, but was smacked to the ground by his target, his shoulder colliding with the desert ground._

_"Oh, ho ho ho!" Eggman declared in victory against the fierce criminal. "Now __**you**_ _are an interesting guy. I like you. How about I __**hire**_ _you to lead my forces? Together, we'll take over the world!"_

_The other Jackal Squad members, who had been overtaken by the robots, did not approve of the proposed job. Amara snarled and growled as only Amara could while Remy tried to talk sense into him. "Boss! Don't be tempted by him, we'll all be fine!" At his statement's conclusion, Remy turned his head to the right to look at Amara. A concerned thought crossed his mind as to whether __**she'd**_ _be alright._

_She was a flaming fluff-ball of fury and had been since her mother abused her. Always fighting, usually in some sort of pain, rarely understood._

_He knew the job would be a long-term deal, and worried that Eggman wouldn't attempt to understand her in a way even remotely close to how Infinite or them did. Much worse was the thought of what might happen to her if she happened to become pregnant at some point in the job. Remy could see their potential client was all kinds of shifty and ambitious, instilling a fear into the jackal concerning a scenario and a life that, as far as he knew, didn't even exist at the moment. He didn't need to run off the list already forming in his head about what could happen to her if she carried a pup during that time, it only amplified his anxiety. Infinite likely wouldn't have the time, ability or place to protect his little family, Remy fretted, leaving her and her child at Eggman's will._

_Coming back to reality, Remy listened to his boss' words._

_"__**Interesting**__. Recently I've felt as though I've been going through the motions, I've actually grown tired of the world as it is."_

_The four captured jackals gasped; QuickStrike lowered his head in defeat, Hunter proceeded to shouting unintelligible nonsense at Eggman for tricking their leader and Remy cast another glance at Amara, who seemed to be discomforted. She made a hardly audible groan and curled up closer to herself as if she was having internal pains other than her injured paws but trying to hide it._

_"Let's do it, Doctor!" Infinite declared, not noticing the protests of the others or even the discomfort of Amara. "I'll help you change this world!_

_Remy tilted over in Amara's direction, with a bit of urgency. "Amara!"_

_She tilted her head towards him. "What?"_

_Remy noticed that she seemed to be doubled over as if something in her midsection was bothering her. "The boss is making a deal with that guy; you've gotta make some noise and get us out of here!"_

_She shook her head. "I can't... everything hurts..."_

_"That's it, Amara! Signal him to let him know you're hurting. He'll come straight over."_

_She nodded and bayed with pain, instantly becoming the full focus of Infinite's attention, and everyone else's._

_Infinite took one look at her and gasped, whimpering for her before turning back to Eggman. "But first, let them go. We're going home for today."_

_"And just why is that?"_

_Infinite took another look at Amara, then replied emotionlessly. "My female is ill."_

_Eggman looked slightly taken aback. "What do you mean 'your female?'"_

_"That is the way we do things where I come from, the females belong to the highest-ranking male in the group. Now let them go. My female is ill."_

_With some hesitation, the robots were ordered to release them._

_Upon release, all but Infinite instantly went over to Amara, helping her up and getting her over to her fiancé._

_Infinite reached his arms around her body and clutched her close, hearing her quiet whimpers. "Hey, we're going home... I'm going to get Cor on the way back and we'll take care of you." He discreetly wrapped his tail around hers as they walked away from the scene, away from a raid that had gone completely off plan._

Shaking himself loose of the memory, Infinite returned to the present day.

The Squad had returned to their Bloodpool Canyon home without incident, where Infinite and Amara met with Cor to find that Amara was in heat.

Both Infinite and Cor ordered Amara to stay within the walls of the towering rock structure they called home. Cor first and foremost, ordered her to rest while her paws healed. Infinite then promptly added that she wouldn't join any missions or raids while she was in heat, then declared that he wouldn't either to protect his only vixen. The week was rough for all of them, Hunter accused Infinite of betraying the Squad and intentionally disregarding the lives of his fellow squadmates, Remy sometimes arguing in favor of the accusation. Amara had spent the entire week in one discomfort or another between her biological desires and her wounds, coming out of her den to eat and complain about everyone before returning to solitude. QuickStrike spent the time by attempting to stay out of all the messes, typically making runs to the black market with Cor to obtain supplies. When tensions against their leader rose inside the dens, QuickStrike put his voice and opinion in Infinite's favor. He also often accompanied Infinite to check on Amara, usually bringing a little 'gift' of food with him to ease her temper. Remy sometimes did the same, but had a tendency to be occupied.

_At least they're at peace... _Infinite sighed. _At least __**she's**_ _at peace... she spent her entire life wounded from those acid burns... _Infinite transformed his emotions into phrases, telling himself Amara had been in so much pain her entire life... it would be cruel to wish that she was still alive.

Eggman knew Infinite was remembering the event, the expression on his face as well as the signals coming into the remote from the canine's collar. He held out the gem to focus Infinite. "But there is one more stage before this gem can be a part of my plan: integration with a living source."

Infinite's expression clicked in shock, his collar bleeped yellow.

"Infinite, you and this ruby will become one, creating a new creature with the power of an unknown source. Do you understand?" Eggman held the remote in Infinite's line of sight, hovering a finger over the button.

Infinite cringed and whimpered slightly at the sight of the remote, remembering the pain. His mind flooded with mixed emotions, fears and doubts. He reminded himself of one thing.

Amara was at peace.

"Yes..." His collar turned back to green as he bowed his head. "...Master."


	4. Gone Forever

_"A million words would not bring you back, I know because I tried, neither would a million tears, I know because I cried." - Author Unknown"_

* * *

A few nights later, a creature crept through the halls, the first time he had done anything resembling his former life since the Incident. He stepped into a lone bulb's light, revealing his identity as Infinite before he disappeared once again into darkness. He stepped through the corridors and halls both stealthily and quickly, headed from his silent sanctuary to the experimental lab. Infinite didn't fear the light like others who crept did, nor did he fear the dark; as he was drenched in one for an indiscernible amount of life and deprived of the other. Silently, Infinite used the bulk of his body to press open a door, peeking into the void whom's cover had been taken by the canine.

The room was nearly dark, with eerie objects and experiments providing darkened lights and reflections, the only things piercing the unknown emptiness. The room's darkness was, however, undaunting to Infinite.

The jackal was gifted with excellent night vision, his occupation, the place where he lived, even his own ancestry all gave the jackal his ability to be undeterred by the dark. These reasons also struck him with a deep, lone pain.

It was an ancestry that would never see another addition.

His lover was gone, cold from the world and free from its suffering. Infinite's heart was her's; there would never be a little one to fill the empty slots of his Squad and heart, taken all too soon. The greatness of the Bloodpooliean race would die with him as he left without an even greater breeding to take his place.

Shaking his head, possibly to prevent an event of tears forming, Infinite crept onwards to his goal. He turned his head towards every object he passed, looking for a specific glint in the darkness. He did remember the area that the object was in, but it was a lot harder to distinguish areas in a closed room than it was back in the Canyon. Finally, he spotted what he was searching for, the Phantom Ruby, then stepped up to it. His eyes focused upon it, curious as to why the small gem should be so interesting.

Perhaps it was so intriguing because of its role in the deaths of the Jackal Squad, maybe it could tell him something about Amara's death that only the murderer and the murdered could know.

Maybe it could warp the past to change his present. Maybe it could help with his pain.

Maybe it could bring her back.

With the sudden thought of restoring his deceased bride, Infinite reached out to grasp the ruby. His hand flinched slightly from the gem at memory of the landscape he saw last time, but he gripped it before he could convince himself not to, diving into a blazing slum of despair.

"Huh? What-Where am I?" Infinite looked around, seeing only ash-reduced structures. The Phantom Ruby had transported him to the same place that it had before Amara's death. The only different aspect, however, was that many of the walls had visible blood splattered on them. Infinite took a roundabout around the place where he found himself standing, moving his feet only enough to turn himself in a fluid circle in place. After the initial shock of his surroundings, Infinite began to walk through the decimated world, entering what he could only imagine as what had been a main street at one point.

"Trophy hunter!" A male voice screeched from the sidelines of the ghost town road.

"Rationless killer!" A lighter, but still male, voice added. Both voices were from the same area, Infinite turned to face whatever may sit there.

A college-aged Doberman and a smaller, younger Akita stood by the edge of the road at a destroyed storefront; Cain and Hannibal respectively. Their tails moved in a tense fury, a dangerous wagging.

"I am not a trophy hunter! I didn't do any of this." Infinite countered, only getting deeper into conflict.

"Yeah. And we're _**cats**_." Cain growled and stepped towards the jackal, his baring teeth glinting in the burning light as his copper-red fur deepened with the damage around him. "We've seen you slain our now-fallen. Enough to know of the kills you've committed, reasonless deaths."

"I haven't harmed you. I'm not from here. I haven't killed anyone here, nor in quite a while and when I did that was because my 'family' was hungry and I needed the money."

Both dogs did a take in intense disbelief, then Cain once again snarled. "That's the biggest piece of bull I've ever heard! What part of you had even the slightest idea that we'd believe that?!"

Infinite took a step back from the Doberman. "Because I can say it with a clear conscience. Haven't so much as laid a hand on a civilian since… since my girl died." His tail flicked in sorrow as he looked down, casting a glance at the ring hidden under his glove.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Can you seriously say nothing but lies?!"

"It's not a lie! She's dead, I saw her!" Tears formed as Infinite fought back with his own memories, forgetting that he was in a fake reality.

This time, Cain wasn't the one to respond, but Hannibal. "You expect us to believe the Empress is dead?" At the mention of her, Cain began to bark and howl.

"Empress?" Infinite blinked. _But… Amara's dead! How can she have become the Mobian Empress if she was killed a month ago? _

"What's with the dumb face? You seriously expected us to believe you when you said that you hadn't done any of this because the Empress was dead?!" Cain snarled again, done with his rabid howling.

Infinite, becoming increasingly overwhelmed, then darted away from the two dogs.

"Yeah, you'd better run! That's what both of you will be doing soon enough!" Cain called in a death threat.

Infinite didn't hear one note of him. _It can't be true… can it? Amara's gone… so why were they so livid when I said it? Could she really be here, alive? How could she have survived?_ Infinite began to look around for a place where an empress might be. Soon he found a place to begin looking, a surprisingly intact corridor, decently far into the city. Making his way down the path, Infinite had a skin-crawling feeling of being jumped in an alley. However, he was down a pathway with a fabric overhang, easing him.

At the end of the path was an entrance, which he walked in after some hesitation. There before him were two thrones, and behind one was his beloved.

"Infinite?" Amara called, uncertain if it was truly hers that had entered.

Hearing her voice, Infinite lost his ability to speak even in his own language. He stammered and stuttered, trying to find the sounds of her name. "Amara!" He sprinted into her arms and held onto her. Yet for some reason, he felt no desire to kiss his lost-then-found bride.

"Aww, thanks for the welcome, honey. It was as if you thought I was dead."

"I-I really thought you were…" Infinite nuzzled the side of her face.

"Why? We've been ruling together almost since our- oh, did you have one of those nightmares again that disorients you?" She then put her arms around him and stroked the hair on his head. "It's okay, we're both here. The guys may be gone, killed by that brutal creature -let him die with pain a thousandfold,- but we're still here and on top of it all. Dontcha worry, precious husband."

_Husband?_ Now Infinite understood all the mixing feeling deep inside him: This wasn't his Amara, she belonged to Emperor Infinite, not the former Ultimate Mercenary who got his whole squad killed. The rush of seeing her blinded him physically, but he emotionally recognized that this wasn't his girl. She was gone, and no Amara, or any other for that matter, that he would meet would ever be his.

Since Infinite was no longer until the illusion of a living Amara, the Phantom Ruby released its hold on him, zapping him back to reality with a burning sorrow.

There was nothing he could do to restore her. She was, and would always be, cold in an unreachable distance from him. "I-I… can't bring her back… she's gone forever."


	5. Reminded

_"The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained." - Author Unknown_

* * *

After the crushing fact that there was no force on or off Mobius that would revive the Squad, Infinite became extremely reclusive. He absolutely refused to allow anyone to enter his room and turned violent when he was either ordered to leave his room or dragged by his tail. When the latter happened, the whole building was susceptible to hearing his violent screaming.

Late at night, as an invisible moon stood high in the sky, Infinite sat huddled in a dark corner of his bed. The broken canine raised his head once for a commanding bark and a small, cookie-cutter robot entered with some food.

Since the canine commander had begun destroying anything that suddenly entered his room, robots with things for Infinite waited until his bark. This robot had an assortment of fruits and some small, entree-styled foods.

Infinite grabbed a full bunch of grapes from one of the robot's dishes, then pulled all of the purple ovals off the branches at once with his teeth. He placed the now-empty branches back onto its original dish and stared at the wall while he ate. "Commander of mindless beings... that's where I've ended up without them... not even that! Commander of piles of metal whose only ambition is another's. _That's_ where I've gotten without them..."

At about this moment, the robot held out one of the dishes to the jackal, almost as if it had been programmed to do so when it sensed distress.

Infinite took a number of various foods from the robot and shoved them in his face. "Who am I kidding?" He began with mouth full. "I'm nothing on my own... I'm nothing without her." With his physical desire for nourishment fulfilled for the moment, he shooed the small little robot away, leaving him completely alone in his room.

As the invisible moon flew higher and the night dragged on, Infinite had pressed himself up against the window's edge. The minute amount of light given from the stars was absorbed by the black hole of his eyes, not a trace of a twinkle found in them during this lonely hour.

But as the stars' minimal light crept in, something did find it within itself to sparkle.

Infinite turned his head slightly as the unanticipated light caught the corner of his eye. The light was coming from the box of Infinite's belongings that the jackal had shoved under the table.

For some reason, the shimmer called out to Infinite and he crawled on his four paws over to the box, peeking in.

His breath caught in his throat as he found and lifted the item which was responsible for the sparkling, an almost-patchwork-style shawl that was completely handmade, with the front of the shawl being a violet-black material that shimmered the violet when in contact with light. Infinite remembered where the shawl had come from: he had designed it himself many years before; after an event that he'd thought he'd forgotten.

_"Hey, Amara? It's Infinite, may I come in?" A twenty-five-year-old jackal called softly into a locked room. He had a paw pressed against the door and waited as footsteps sounded and the door unwillingly unlocked. Infinite opened the door to find his girlfriend return to a curled position against the wall. "You know it's not healthy to lock yourself up..."_

_"Just- What do you want?" Amara tucked her head away from him, voice almost cracking._

_"Well, it's almost your birthday and... the guys and I were wondering... is there something you'd like?" As soon as he finished, she began to shudder._

_"I want my baby back!" She replied with a wailing yell, breaking down into tears while she gripped her stomach. A few months before, Amara was expecting their first child, a baby girl. However, one morning a few weeks after finding out about their little one, Amara dropped to the ground in pain. Their medic, Cor, was quickly brought in and after an examination, told them that their daughter was gone._

_Both were wracked beyond words, but Amara just couldn't seem to bear the fact that the little one that she'd been so careful to protect had died. Her body had a difficult time returning to normal afterward and her instincts just didn't seem to work the way they were supposed to. Even after Cor had gotten the child out of her, her mind was certain that she had delivered a healthy pup and she tried to nurse._

_That was probably the worst memory that Infinite possessed, him helpless as he watched his devastated other trying to feed a hardly developed pup that obviously wasn't breathing. Just the fact that there was absolutely nothing that he could do to revive their baby was the worst feeling that he'd ever felt. Even if he was able to get the pup's heart beating again, it would instantly die again since it was no longer connected to Amara._

_It took the entire Squad plus Cor and Lusk, who had come as soon as he heard, to take the deceased child from its mother. Once the pup was back with Cor, the last thing that he did with it was take a tiny sample of blood to determine the pup's gender at Amara's plea. A female pup had been lost._

_Infinite slightly twiddled his claws together as he thought of how to respond to her cry. "You have no idea how much I _**_wish_**_ I could bring her back, Mara. If I could, I would have saved you both that day so neither of you would have had to feel pain." He stepped closer to Amara, then bent down to her eye level. "But our daughter, our Genesis, is gone." Infinite sniffled and gripped her paw. "There's nothing you nor I can do and you know that. The only thing I can do is be here with you. Why don't you come out for a little? It's been quite a while since the guys have seen you and you look like you haven't eaten in a while."_

_Amara nodded, letting Infinite wipe tears from her eyes. "Okay..." She stood up and pressed against his side, gripping his paw tighter than he was gripping her back._

_The rest of the Squad, including Cor and her dad, were very happy to see her out after she had forced herself into isolation, even if she still wasn't herself._

Infinite himself had crafted the shawl by hand, he had learned how so that he could surprise Amara when Genesis was born. After spending time with her that day, Infinite dug out the unfinished garment and completed it as a patchwork to still give her something special.

_"Happy birthday, Amara!" Infinite declared as he kissed her cheek. She had just turned twenty-four and had perked up a little in recent weeks after being with the Squad._

_Lusk gave her a light hug. "We love you, darling."_

_"I love you too, Dad, and Infinite." She smiled a little._

_"I have something for you. Turn around."_

_Amara was confused, but she turned without question. A few moments after she finished turning, she felt Infinite place something over her shoulders. "Infinite... what is this?"_

_"It's a little comfort thing. I made it. Originally it was going to be a surprise for when Genesis came but..." Infinite smiled awkwardly._

_"I love it." She clutched the black and violent edges together. "Thank you."_

_"You're welcome... sit here, will you?" He sat down on the couch and waved a little, Amara sitting down next to him and curling up. He began to point out the different colored portions of the shawl. "I made this like it is to show you how far you've come. This part is for how you were abused, this part is for your addiction." He continued pointing out parts until he came to the front. "And this one is for our baby. She might not be here anymore, but she'll always be with us. We may not be getting to meet her here on Mobius, but Genesis will always be in our hearts. We did have a daughter, that never changed, she just arrived as an angel." __Infinite gripped her shoulders. "Amara, _I promise, _when you feel just shattered, I'll hold the broken pieces together with my paws." He kissed her forehead. "You can count on me."_

Infinite placed the shawl around his neck and clutched it the same was that Amara did when he gave it to her. Her scent was still present, which made the hollow void in his heart pulse. It had meant so much to her for the three years that she had it. Whenever she was wounded, ill or sad, he could find her wrapped up into it. When they decided that they wanted to try having kids again, Infinite would place it on her right after mating in hopes that they would receive a second chance from Heaven and that Amara would conceive.

Still breathing in Amara's scent and thinking about his fiancée and daughter, Infinite returned to the window. Once again sat beneath it, he looked out. "Genesis?" He spoke into the night. "It's Daddy..." He brushed his paw against the black-violet fabric caressing his shoulders. "I've made a lot of mistakes recently, I assume that you've already heard, being in Heaven and all... your mom's in Heaven now, I wonder if you two have met. She loved you so much... she loved you until the day she died, and she still loves you now... I know she does." Infinite's breath caught in his throat. "I couldn't save her... I couldn't save **you**. They say love is always stronger than death, but mine couldn't keep either of you alive. I couldn't welcome you into the world; I couldn't keep her from the knife." He gripped the shawl a little harder as he began to tremble.

"Neither of you said that you were leaving... neither of you said goodbye... you were just gone... gone before I knew it..." He had to pause his conversation with his daughter to sob for a while, continuing once he was able to find the words again. "Genesis? Could you do me a favor? If you see her, if you see your mother... tell her... I need her..."

* * *

A few days later as Infinite awoke from another dream, one about his late family, a little robot appeared. "Message for the commander." The robot laid the letter on the table then scooted out before the jackal could get to him.

"What now?" Infinite groaned, but went over and picked up the letter. _No address or anything, huh..._ After staring at it for a while, Infinite opened the letter, only to be shocked as soon as he read the first four words.

**_Dear my unofficial son-in-law__,_**

_What the- Lusk?!_ Infinite's thoughts screamed. _How'd he find me?!_

**_You're probably wondering how I found you, huh? Well, a strange feeling came over me in the middle of the night, almost as if someone we both knew was trying to tell me something... I just had this chilling feeling that you felt alone and lost. I wasted no time in this letter (although let's be honest, Amara made it look so easy and I have no idea to check this for errors) to remind you that you're not alone. Amara and the Squad may be gone and her child cold, but you still have someone here. I remember that day so clearly, when you came home bruised and shaking, that those emotions reactivate as I write this. Amara is still watching over you at this very moment that you're reading, I know she is. Both her and Genesis will be with you forever and wherever._**

**_I am still here on Mobius, thinking about you. If/When you ever decide to come back, I'm holding down the territory as if it were my own flesh. Never forget that someone is always looking out for you and that someone is also grieving with you._**

**_Wish you the best as you cope,_**

**_Lusk_**

As soon as he finished reading the letter, Infinite darted over to the window and looked up into the dawn sky. "Thank you, Genesis... if this **was** you... thank you..."


	6. The Phantom Conspiracy

_"The song is ended but the melody lingers on." - Irving Berlin_

* * *

He had almost forgotten where he was. As he looked around, everything seemed almost surreal. He couldn't control his movements, couldn't even turn his head, but somehow he felt calmer than he had in months. He knew why; this was home! He'd never been so relaxed to see the arching rock figures of his homeland, but he tensed as he felt a graceful paw on his shoulder and a slender muzzle pressed against his neck. Without his own volition, his head tipped down and his left paw reached up to the body near him.

"Hi…" Familiar gold eyes glimmered.

_Amara… _

He instantly tried to kiss her and pull her close, wanting to run his claws through her hair, but at the moment he regained control of his body, everything shot into blackness. Disappointment and sorrow instantly struck through him as he remembered where he actually was.

A painful pulsing shot through his upper chest, and he tried to lift his left paw again to touch his it, being prevented however by wires. His ears twitched as he heard a beep, and he felt himself stiffen.

"Can't have you moving around, you may mess something up." A voice boomed into his ears. "But you'll be free soon enough as my greatest creation!" Infinite heard him bellow with a burst of nearly maniacal laughter.

"The boss is serious this time!" A klutzy sounding voice spoke.

"Finally something even that blasted hedgehog can't defeat, for every single feature of a living being is present!"

_Maybe that's because I __**am**_ _alive?_ Infinite grumbled in his mind.

Eggman glanced at the vital stats on the monitor before looking back at Infinite. "Yes, this is perhaps my greatest accomplishment!"

As Cubot watched Infinite's motionless form, Orbot followed his master as he began to monologue.

"Sonic. How I detest him. And all of that loathing has been concentrated into this one instrument of destruction! Every defeat, every single ounce of humiliation dealt by that hedgehog will now be returned a thousandfold! With my new invention, I will now be able to extend my Empire and even conquer the globe! Nothing will stand in my way! Not even those blasted rodents!" As his verbal scheming evolved into maniacal laughter, the robots gasped, realizing their creator's full intentions.

Eggman shoved past the two robots, then pressed a button on Infinite's control panel, returning movement to his head and allowing his eyes to open.

_That's a __**lot**_ _better… _Infinite stretched out his neck, relieved.

"Now… time to test this new creation."

_Nothing but this gem is new… I've been alive twenty-seven years… well, twenty-eight if you want to be really technical about it. _

Infinite heard the liquid suspending him begin to drain. Once the liquid drained enough to allow Infinite's paws to touch the ground, he felt both shaky and empowered. He heard the compressed air inside release as the door opened for him.

After taking only one step, Infinite lost his footing and face-planted onto the ground.

"Please tell me you weren't this clumsy _before_."

Infinite tried pushing himself up, shaking from having to support his weight after a long period of suspension. "You'd be the same."

Orbot and Cubot rolled under him to help push him upright, accidentally getting slightly smashed together when the jackal regained his footage.

Once upright, the latter approached the window where the scientist was standing, a few inches from rivaling his height. "What act of mayhem to do you have in that little mind of yours to test the reach of this power?"

Dr. Eggman turned his head slightly to his right, bringing Infinite into his view. He smirked slightly, almost pleased. "Oh, ignorant Bloodpooliean, your hate of Mobius is present in every ounce of you."

Infinite twisted his head to the left to do the same, face staying expressionless. "It is both bred and deserved." He furrowed his brow and jerked his head away, looking at the ground in front of him. "Perhaps if your government didn't run around, slaughtering our innocents and children, it wouldn't be so."

"You and I both know I have no association nor affiliation with them. I am more so like the common Mobian in that I have no contact or cause with your kind."

"Yet you are satisfied in this actless state instead of attempting to do at least something for us exiles. Our state is undeserved, but they don't want anyone to grasp that. By doing nothing, you let them win."

"Then I think you'll like my proposal. Testing the Phantom Ruby on the blasted G.U.N. agent that killed your precious Squad."

He felt his ears perk up, highly intrigued by the offer. He once again looked at the scientist. "Just him?"

"Him, and the other two members of his unit. All three high enough ranked to have something to do with the Bloodpooliean persecutions."

Infinite smiled, touching the ruby now implanted into him, chuckling a little. "Let it be so." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before the Phantom Ruby activated; lifting him off the ground with the accompaniment of an odd, foreboding hum.

Eggman smiled, then picked up a metal mask that was based off an ancient Bloodpooliean battle mask, the armor of Infinite's ancestors. He gladly presented it to Infinite, who took it from him.

With a heavy breath, Infinite slipped on the mask, clasping its bottom to the rim of his shock collar. The mask's eyes lit up with an eerie red and only Infinite's yellow eye shone through; as if it was informing the world that he'd finally accepted his Bloodpooliean destiny. As the leader of Bloodpool, as well as its ruling clan's last surviving member, it was now Infinite's role to bring his people to the world stage on their behalf, reminding Mobius of their existence.

Since the beginning, the Bloodpoolieans and Defieds had been chased, killed and persecuted until their exile was set in stone; their lives abandoned by the world. Infinite, however, now had the chance of a thousand lifetimes laid straight into his paws.

He would confront G.U.N; he would make them rue the day they ever laid hands on his people and the ones that he loved, he would make the world remember and recognize the Bloodpool Canyon people.

He was done suffering in silence.


End file.
